Rack-Mount Server Management

You can manage and monitor all rack-mount servers that have been integrated with a Cisco UCS domain through Cisco UCS Manager. All management and monitoring features are supported for rack-mount servers except power capping. Some rack-mount server management tasks, such as changes to the power state, can be performed from both the server and service profile. The remaining management tasks can only be performed on the server.

Cisco UCS Manager provides information, errors, and faults for each rack-mount server that it has discovered.

Tip

For information about how to integrate a supported Cisco UCS rack-mount server with Cisco UCS Manager, see the Cisco UCS C-series server integration guide for your Cisco UCS Manager release.

Guidelines for Removing and Decommissioning Rack-Mount Servers

Consider the following guidelines when deciding whether to remove or decommission a rack-mount server using Cisco UCS Manager:

Decommissioning a Rack-Mount server

Decommissioning is performed when a rack-mount server is physically present and connected but you want to temporarily remove it from the configuration. Because it is expected that a decommissioned rack-mount server will be eventually recommissioned, a portion of the server's information is retained by Cisco UCS Manager for future use.

Removing a Rack-Mount server

Removing is performed when you physically remove the server from the system by disconnecting the rack-mount server from the fabric extender. You cannot remove a rack-mount server from Cisco UCS Manager if it is physically present and connected to the fabric extender. Once the rack-mount server is disconnected, the configuration for that rack-mount server can be removed in Cisco UCS Manager.

During removal, management interfaces are disconnected, all entries from databases are removed, and the server is automatically removed from any server pools that it was assigned to during discovery.

Note

Only those servers added to a server pool automatically during discovery will be removed automatically. Servers that have been manually added to a server pool have to be removed manually.

If you need to add a removed rack-mount server back to the configuration, it must be reconnected and then rediscovered. When a server is reintroduced to Cisco UCS Manager it is treated like a new server and is subject to the deep discovery process. For this reason, it's possible that Cisco UCS Manager will assign the server a new ID that may be different from the ID that it held before.

Recommendations for Avoiding Unexpected Server Power Changes

If a server is not associated with a service profile, you can use any available means to change the server power state, including the physical Power or Reset buttons on the server.

If a server is associated with, or assigned to, a service profile, you should only use the following methods to change the server power state:

In Cisco UCS Manager GUI, go to the General tab for the server or the service profile associated with the server and select Boot Server or Shutdown Server from the Actions area.

In Cisco UCS Manager CLI, scope to the server or the service profile associated with the server and use the power up or power down commands.

Important:

Do not use any of the following options on an associated server that is currently powered off:

Reset in the GUI

cycle cycle-immediate or reset hard-reset-immediate in the CLI

The physical Power or Reset buttons on the server

If you reset, cycle, or use the physical power buttons on a server that is currently powered off, the server's actual power state may become out of sync with the desired power state setting in the service profile. If the communication between the server and Cisco UCS Manager is disrupted or if the service profile configuration changes, Cisco UCS Manager may apply the desired power state from the service profile to the server, causing an unexpected power change.

Power synchronization issues can lead to an unexpected server restart, as shown below:

Desired Power State in Service Profile

Current Server Power State

Server Power State After Communication Is Disrupted

Up

Powered Off

Powered On

Down

Powered On

Powered On

Note

Running servers are not shut down regardless of the desired power state in the service profile.

Booting Rack-Mount Servers

Booting a Rack-Mount Server

If the
Boot Server link is dimmed in the
Actions area, you must shut down the server
first.

After the server has been successfully shut down, the
Overall Status field on the
General tab displays a down status or a
power-off status.

Resetting a Rack-Mount Server

When you reset a server,
Cisco UCS Manager sends a
pulse on the reset line. You can choose to gracefully shut down the operating
system. If the operating system does not support a graceful shut down, the
server is power cycled. The option to have
Cisco UCS Manager complete
all management operations before it resets the server does not guarantee that
these operations will be completed before the server is reset.

Note

If you are
trying to boot a server from a power-down state, you should not use
Reset.

If you continue
the power-up with this process, the desired power state of the servers will
become out of sync with the actual power state and the servers may unexpectedly
shut down at a later time. To safely reboot the selected servers from a
power-down state, click
Cancel then select the
Boot
Server action.

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Choose the server that you want to reset.

Step 4

In the
Work pane, click the
General tab.

Step 5

In the
Actions area, click
Reset.

Step 6

In the
Reset Server dialog box, do the following:

Click the
Power Cycle option.

Optional: Check the check box if you want
Cisco UCS Manager
to complete all management operations that are pending on this server.

Click
OK.

The reset may take several minutes to complete. After the server has
been reset, the
Overall Status field on the
General tab displays an ok status.

Reacknowledging a Rack-Mount Server

Perform the following procedure if you need to have
Cisco UCS Manager rediscover
the server and all endpoints in the server. For example, you can use this
procedure if a server is stuck in an unexpected state, such as the discovery
state.

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Choose the server that you want to acknowledge.

Step 4

In the
Work pane, click the
General tab.

Step 5

In the
Actions area, click
Server Maintenance.

Step 6

In the
Maintenance dialog box, do the following:

Click
Re-acknowledge.

Click
OK.

Cisco UCS Manager disconnects the server and then builds the connections
between the server and the fabric interconnect or fabric interconnects in the
system. The acknowledgment may take several minutes to complete. After the
server has been acknowledged, the
Overall Status field on the
General tab displays an OK status.

Decommissioning a Rack-Mount Server

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Choose the server that you want to decommission.

Step 4

In the
Work pane, click the
General tab.

Step 5

In the
Actions area, click
Server Maintenance.

Step 6

In the
Maintenance dialog box, do the following:

Click
Decommission.

Click
OK.

The server is removed from the
Cisco UCS configuration.

Recommissioning a Rack-Mount Server

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the Equipment tab, click the Rack-Mounts node.

Step 3

In the Work pane, click the Decommissioned tab.

Step 4

On the row for each rack-mount server that you want to recommission, do the following:

(Optional)Monitor the progress of the server recommission and discovery on the FSM tab for the server.

Renumbering a Rack-Mount Server

Before You Begin

If you are swapping IDs between servers, you must first
decommission both servers and then wait for the server decommission FSM to
complete before proceeding with the renumbering steps.

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Expand the Servers node and verify that it does not include the following:

The rack-mount server you want to renumber

A rack-mount server with the number you want to use

If either of these servers are listed in the Servers node, decommission those servers. You must wait until the decommission FSM is complete and the servers are not listed in the node before continuing. This might take several minutes.

Step 4

Choose the rack-mount server that you want to renumber.

Step 5

On the Equipment tab, click the Rack-Mounts node.

Step 6

In the Work pane, click the Decommissioned tab.

Step 7

On the row for each rack-mount server that you want to renumber, do the following:

Double-click in the ID field, and enter the new number that you want to assign to the rack-mount server.

(Optional)Monitor the progress of the server recommission and discovery on the FSM tab for the server.

Removing a Non-Existent Rack-Mount Server from the Configuration Database

Perform the following
procedure if you physically removed the server hardware without first
decommissioning the server. You cannot perform this procedure if the server is
physically present.

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Choose the server that you want to remove from the configuration
database.

Step 4

In the
Work pane, click the
General tab.

Step 5

In the
Actions area, click
Server Maintenance.

Step 6

In the
Maintenance dialog box, do the following:

Click
Remove.

Click
OK.

Cisco UCS Manager removes all data about the server from its configuration
database. The server slot is now available for you to insert new server
hardware.

Turning the Locator LED for a Rack-Mount Server On and Off

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Choose the server for which you want to turn the locator LED on or off.

Step 4

In the
Work pane, click the
General tab.

Step 5

In the
Actions area, click
one of the following:

Turn on Locator LED

Turn off Locator LED

Resetting the CMOS for a Rack-Mount Server

On rare occasions, troubleshooting a server may require you to
reset the CMOS. This procedure is not part of the normal maintenance of a
server.

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Choose the server for which you want to reset the CMOS.

Step 4

In the
Work pane, click the
General tab.

Step 5

In the
Actions area, click
Recover Server.

Step 6

In the
Recover Server dialog box, do the following:

Click
Reset CMOS.

Click
OK.

Resetting the CIMC for a Rack-Mount Server

On rare occasions, such as an issue with the current running
firmware, troubleshooting a server may require you to reset the CIMC. This
procedure is not part of the normal maintenance of a server. After you reset
the CIMC, the server boots with the running version of the firmware for that
server.

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Choose the server for which you want to reset the CIMC.

Step 4

In the
Work pane, click the
General tab.

Step 5

In the
Actions area, click
Recover Server.

Step 6

In the
Recover Server dialog box, do the following:

Click
Reset CIMC (Server Controller).

Click
OK.

Recovering the Corrupt BIOS on a Rack-Mount Server

On rare occasions, an issue with a server may require you to
recover the corrupted BIOS. This procedure is not part of the normal
maintenance of a server. After you recover the BIOS, the server boots with the
running version of the firmware for that server. This radio button may be
dimmed if the BIOS does not require recovery or the option is not available for
a particular server.

Before You Begin

Important:

Remove all
attached or mapped USB storage from a server before you attempt to recover the
corrupt BIOS on that server. If an external USB drive is attached or mapped
from vMedia to the server, BIOS recovery fails.

Choose the firmware version that
you want to activate from the drop-down list.

Click OK.

Viewing the POST Results for a Rack-Mount Server

You can view any errors collected during the Power On Self-Test process for a server and its adapters.

Procedure

Step 1

In the
Navigation pane, click the
Equipment tab.

Step 2

On the
Equipment tab, expand
Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.

Step 3

Choose the server for which you want to view the POST results.

Step 4

In the
Work pane, click the
General tab.

Step 5

In the Actions area, click View POST Results.

The POST Results dialog box lists the POST results for the server and its adapters.

Step 6

(Optional)Click the link in the Affected Object column to view the properties of that adapter.

Step 7

Click OK to close the POST Results dialog box.

Issuing an NMI from a Rack-Mount Server

Perform the following
procedure if the system remains unresponsive and you need
Cisco UCS Manager to issue a
Non Maskable Interrupt (NMI) to the BIOS or operating system from the CIMC.
This action creates a core dump or stack trace, depending on the operating
system installed on the server.